My Writings (I hope!) reflect my Guiding Principles:
-'Enjoy Life to the Utmost but not at other people's expense'-'Think Global, Act Local'-'Variety is the Spice of Life'-'Use Technology & Wisdom to Make the World A Better Place for All God's Creatures'-'Do Not Accept Injustice No Matter Where You Find It'-'Laughter is the Best Medicine'

First Telephone, Transistor and Google Storage Device replicas On Show at Galway Science Exhibition

A press release that was published in the current edition of Galway City Tribune:

A unique series of exhibits were unveiled at the remarkable and highly successful Galway Science and Technology Festival Exhibition that took place
in NUI Galway (Galway university) on Sunday last.

Visitors to the Computer Museum exhibit at the Galway Science & Technology Festival

Replicas of some of the most important
inventions in the history of modern communications were displayed in the Computer
and Communications Museum of Ireland which was re-located to the main campus for the event.

Replica of Google Server at Scoil Bhríde Mionloch stand

“Three recently arrived artifacts represent
significant milestones in the history of communications technology,” according
to Brendan Smith Outreach Officer of the Digital Enterprise Research Institute (DERI) at NUI Galway.

First Telephone

Replica of Alexander Graham Bell's first telephone on display at the Computer
and Communications Museum of Ireland

in DERI, NUI Galway

“The telephone or ‘electrical speech machine’ was
invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876. He later founded what became known
as Bell Laboratories, probably the most influential research facility of modern
times, which can list amongst its achievements the laser, synchronised sound and motion picture,
the solar cell and the Telstar space satellite. Today it is a part of the Alcatel-Lucent corporation, an
industrial partner of DERI.

First Transistor Comes to Galway

One of their engineers Toby Joyce originally from Clifden, arranged for
the transfer from Bell Labs in New Jersey to Galway of not only a replica of
the first telephone but also that of probably their greatest invention, namely
the ‘transistor’ that was developed in 1947 and became the basic building block
of modern electronic devices.

Replica of first transistor

“DERI has passed on these fascinating artifacts
to the Computer and Communications Museum of Ireland that operates under a
multi-sectoral board chaired by Dr. Chris Coughlan of Hewlett-Packard with
representatives from Engineers’ Ireland, NUIG, GMIT, small businesses and Irish
Diaspora groups as well as DERI.

Google- the Galway & Irish Connection

“The museum will also play host to a very
intriguing exhibit being constructed by Scoil Bhríde Menlo (Mionloch) and Cumann na bhFear
in Ballinfoile. It is a model of the Google original storage device from 1996 .
The company’s founders put together a server consisting of 10 hard disks of 4
gigabytes each, then the largest capacity drives available, encased in a
cabinet covered with children’s Lego bricks.

It is appropriate that this school is
undertaking this task as Google was founded in a garage in Menlo Park,
California, so named in the 1850s by
two Irish immigrants, Oliver
and McGlynn, in honour of their
Galway birthplace.

Our institute has had a close working
relationship with Scoil Bhríde as we have provided laptops on loan for the last
four years to all their pupils in fifth and sixth year classes in an effort to
promote eLearning education."

The Cumann na bhFear (Irish for "Men's Club") is a recently formed group in Ballinfoile Mór that is modeled on the Men's Shed movement that originated in Australia. Two of its founding members, Michael McDonnell and Michael Tiernan, helped construct the metal stacking unit (above), secured many of the old hard disks and made an exact copy of the 'clouded' perspex panels used as the sides of the original Google server by cutting out sections from a shower door!

Michael McDonnell and Michael Tiernan cutting panels out of an old Shower Door

Lover of Nature, of Peoples & of Technology.Endeavour to 'Think Global, Act Local'.Believer in Liberation Theology.Proud to be Irish with a Rebel Heart.

"I view 'Technology' as a liberating force & a means of helping in saving the planet from man's catastrophic interference.

Lead mentor in Africa Code Week. 'Galway Science Person of the Year' Award 2006& 2012. 'Galway IT in the Community' Award 2014 (ITAG). Recipient of Galway Mayoral Award
for community projects. Co-founder of Coderdojo Galway City which won ITAG 'Technology in the Community Award' 2013. Curator & founding member of Computer & Communications Museum of Ireland. Presented also with a number of other Science &
Technology plaudits including Galway ITAG Information Technology Schools Award 2006.Former Holiday Village manager, pub owner & Music promoter.

The Irish

The great Gaels of IrelandAre the men that God made madFor all their wars are merry,And all their songs are sad-G.K. Chesterton, English writer

Wise Words

The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But... the good Samaritan reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people. -Martin Luther King